Destiel Christmas Coffee Shop AU
by castielsweakness
Summary: Dean Winchester spends his life trying to look after those around him without a second thought for his own happiness. Until one day he goes on a coffee run and finds someone who reminds him that he might want something for himself. (Rated M for later chapters)
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Dean Winchester was tired; exhausted in fact. He worked two jobs and on top of that he had a house to keep, and a kid brother to take care of. Every day he made Sammy breakfast and dropped him off at school, then he'd head straight out to Bobby's. Bobby had been a lifeline for Sam and Dean when their Dad stopped paying the bills and started drinking; he gave Dean a job at his Car-Repair (and probably paid him a little more than what anyone else with the same job would get). Dean showed his thanks by working his ass off. He sort of loved working on the cars and he was damn good at it too so he kept busy and did his best not to be an inconvenience. Later he would pick up Sam, take him home and cook him dinner, and once he was settled and getting on with his homework Dean would head out to Ellen's bar where he'd work until 1:30am. Although now he was trying to save up for Sammy to go to college, he was practically begging her for overtime. Money was always a little tight but God knows Dean was trying his best to keep on top of it. That was Dean's life and he was tired.

"Kid, get your face out of that engine and let's get us some coffee." Bobby's gruff voice interrupted Dean's train of thought so suddenly he spun around in shock, knocking a box of tools onto the ground and spilling the contents.

"Jesus Christ, Bobby, don't sneak up on me like that." Dean spluttered, cheeks reddening slightly at his jumpy reaction. Bobby grumbled something unintelligible about daydreaming on the job and wondered towards the kitchen, gesturing for him to follow. Dean quickly shoved the tools back into their box and rushed to follow Bobby, who was sat down at the small wooden table while Rufus was filling the kettle with water. "Here, let me." Dean said instinctively, taking the kettle from him, putting it on to boil and setting out mugs.

"You baby us boy." Bobby grunted with a slight smile playing at the corner of his mouth. Dean snorted in response and began spooning instant coffee into the mugs. "Kid, stop fussin' for a second and sit down." Bobby instructed. Dean quickly did as he was told, concerned by the nervous edge to Bobby's voice.

"Uh.. So, what's up?" he asked hesitantly. Bobby threw Rufus a look and got a nod in response. Bobby sat up straight and cleared his throat, "Listen, Dean –". This was not happening. Dean could not be getting fired. No way, he could not afford this. He started to panic, heart beating faster and palms sweaty, he let out a false laugh "Hey, Bobby, if this is about me daydreaming earlier I'm real sorry. But I was still working I swear I just wasn't thinking about my surroundings. And I know that's not right but I'm just –"

"Will you let me finish, ya' idjit?" Bobby interrupted, rolling his eyes. Dean lowered his head slightly to allow Bobby to continue but Rufus took over instead.

"Listen Dean, I'm getting on a bit now and I got some money saved and I was thinkin' maybe it's time for me to... Well you know, retire." Dean stared at them both, frowning in confusion. It didn't seem like he was getting fired but why in hell's name were they telling _him_ Rufus was retiring. Shouldn't they tell everyone, make a thing of it? Hell, maybe Chuck would even get Becky to bake a cake. Dean was suddenly aware that this awkward silence that had taken over was due to them expecting him to say something.

"Uh, wow man. That's, I mean, good for you. We'll miss you round here though, don't know how Bobby well cope without you." Rufus shook his head and laughed and Bobby snorted, Dean raised his eyebrows, bewildered as ever.

"Man, you really don't know where we're going with this do you?" Rufus asked, with a grin. Dean shook his head and Bobby leaned forward to address him.

"Kid, you're the hardest worker in this place and seem to be the only one with a half-ass idea of what you're doing." Dean continued staring blankly and contemplated saying thank you before Bobby breathed an exasperated sigh and continued "You idjit, do you want Rufus's job or not?" Dean's mouth dropped open.

"Uh, I uh.." he stuttered "Oh my God, Bobby are you serious? I mean, wait, don't answer that. Yes. Thanks, yes I would love the job." Dean rambled, waiting for someone to cut him off so he would stop embarrassing himself.

"Alright, alright." Bobby grumbled, looking away from Dean and avoiding his thanks. "Obviously the pay'll be better. You'll work the same hours and you'll still spend a lot of time fixing the cars. Only now you'll have some things to take home with you, customer's paper work and that sort of crap. Mostly it's the same job... Also you'll have to start takin' charge and setting the rest of the guys in line when they ain't workin'." Dean's wolfish grin spread across his face.

"That sounds fantastic Bobby, thanks so much."

"Yeah, don't go screwin' it up." Bobby said gruffly, an affectionate huff punctuating his words. "Now what happened to that coffee?"

Dean jumped up "None of this instant crap, not today." He said, still grinning "This shit tastes like dirt and oil most of the time. Why don't I and get us some proper coffee, you know, to celebrate? Just this once."

Bobby and Rufus rolled their eyes "Can't argue with that." Bobby shrugged "Be back by quarter past."

Dean nodded and walked out of the kitchen, still grinning and not bothering to ask what they actually wanted to drink. He checked his watch and grabbed his coat, waving at Chuck on his way out. It was freezing and Dean wrapped his jacket around himself to shelter against the biting cold. He glanced at his watch and realised Bobby had given him half an hour. What, did he think he was going to the next state over to get it? Dean huffed a laugh, his breath creating steam in the icy air, and wondered up the road. The nearest coffee shop was a Starbucks which Dean ignored. He's always found Starbucks pretentious, with their fancy creamy coffees and insistence that you order everything in Italian. It was packed with Christmas shoppers anyway and he hated the crowds and queuing. There was plenty of time for him to keep looking for an alternative.

About three blocks away Dean spotted a small coffee shop. Snow was starting to fall and the soft glow of light coming from the front windows looked welcoming and warm so he made his way across the street and inside. He was hit with the mixed scent of coffee and fresh apple pie that made him grin from ear to ear. Perfect. The coffee shop wasn't crowded but it was busy. There was a low hum of relaxed conversation that made the atmosphere comfortably quiet rather than awkwardly so.

"Hello, handsome!" Dean turned to the counter to see a short man with fairly long hair and a candy cane hanging out of his smirking mouth.

"Uh, hi." Dean replied, a flustered blush spreading over his cheeks "Can I get a –"

"Oh hello, who is this?" A tall blonde man with a British accent chimed in "I'm Balthazar, and it is a pleasure to meet you."

Dean looked down to repress a smile. Balthazar? Quickly composing himself he looked up again "Hey, I'm Dean."

"Gabriel, Balthazar, behave yourself! You'll scare away all my customers at this rate." A deep growling voice pleaded. Suddenly, Dean found himself staring into the most amazing eyes he had ever seen. They were a stunning shade of blue, with intricate patterns in silver and navy that gave the iris's the illusion of looking remarkably like ocean waves. "I'm sorry about them." The man said, pulling Dean's focus away from his eyes and allowing him to notice the rest the stranger's appearance. The man had a thick and dark mess of hair that he wanted to run his hand through so much, his fingers actually twitched. His skin was pale but healthy and smooth with delicate colour in the cheeks. His lips were full but chapped to the extent that Dean wanted to wet them with his own tongue. His body was slender but you could tell that he was muscular. Not brawny like himself but obviously strong and toned. Suddenly, Dean became very aware that he had just shamelessly checked out this guy without so much as an attempt at subtlety. His eyes darted up to the man's face to see his head tilted slightly to the side, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. Dean's cheeks burnt hot. "It's fine." He said "Can I get three large black coffees to go please."

"We'll get them!" Balthazar smirked; pulling the man Dean assumed was Gabriel towards the coffee machines.

Dean look backed toward the blue eyed man. "I really do apologies for my brothers. They're visiting and they wanted to help but uh.. Anyway I'm sorry." The man said. His voice sounded tired as though he'd had to explain this to several people already today.

"Hey, really it's no problem." Dean laughed trying to put the guy at ease "I'm Dean by the way."

"Castiel." The man said smiling gently.

"Huh, so angel names, is that a family thing?" Dean asks keeping his voice casual, but cautiously looking up at Castiel to try to catch another glimpse of him. He really was fucking hot.

Castiel looked slightly surprised and quirks his head again "Oh, well yes we all have angelic names, it's a family mannerism." He parted his lips to continue but was interrupted by a loud smash from behind him.

"For fuck's sake Gabriel!" Balthazar scolded.

"Don't blame me butter fingers, you're the one who dropped it." Gabriel's teasing voice returned.

"Excuse me a moment." Castiel said, sounding exasperated. Rather than stepping between the brothers bickering, Castiel simply continued making the coffees they had abandoned and is back within seconds to give them to Dean. "Here, on the house." He says shrugging.

Dean raises his eyebrows "No, dude seriously how much is it? It's fine."

Castiel raises his hand to stop Dean from insisting "Consider it an apology for.." He gestures towards his brothers and Dean notices how elegantly his hands move "all this."

A genuine laugh escaped from between Dean's lips and took the coffees with a grin "You sure?" he asks and Castiel nods with another gentle smile. Something about those smiles seemed precious, as though they were rarely given out and it made the inside of Dean's chest flutter when he received them. "Well, thanks man. Hope your brothers don't cause too much trouble." he says, throwing one last smile at Castiel and leaving with the hot coffees.

A thin layer of snow is covering the sidewalk when Dean steps out of the coffee shop. Wary of the hot drinks he's holding, he walks carefully back to Bobby's, trying not to slip.


	2. Chapter 2

**~ Hello! I hope everyone had nice holidays; I certainly didn't which is my excuse for not updating for so long. Against my better judgement I have decided to continue with this fic, despite the fact that it's no longer the Christmas season. This is thanks to the lovely reviews, so thank you so much! ~**

* * *

Dean pulled up to the curb outside Sam's school. The rest of his shift at Bobby's had passed quickly on a post-promotion high. He'd worked at twice his usual pace with a grin on his face and a pair of blue eyes on his mind.

The door of the Impala swung open and a boy way too tall for his age, with long hair and a wolfish grin clambered into the car, tugging off his hat and scarf. "Hey Dean."

"Hey Sammy, how was school?" Dean asked with a genuine smile. No matter what, seeing his little brother was always the highlight of his day.

"Really good." Sam replied with a nod "I did some extra pages on my English work so I don't think Miss Milton hates me anymore. Also Meg and Ruby got into a huge argument and Ruby totally got her ass kicked –"

"Oh fuck yes." He smirked. Dean had and ongoing hatred for Ruby ever since she cheated on his little brother with a guy named Lucifer. Lucifer of all people?

"I know; it was awesome. And also I asked Jess out on a date, you know the girl who sits next to me in science? And she said yes so I was wondering if it would be okay if we went to the movies on Friday?" the rate of his words quickened as he got increasingly nervous throughout his question. Sam, who was staring intensely at his feet with a slight blush in his cheeks, received a slap on the shoulder from his older brother. "So you finally asked out the blonde chick you never shut up about!"

"Jess, her name is Jess, Dean." Sam retorted shooting Dean a bitchy look.

"Wow, that's a lot of attitude for someone who's asking permission to do something, Sammy" he chuckled as he pulled out into the road and began the drive home. Sam looked at Dean with a horrified expression and was about to start apologising when Dean cut him off. "Don't cry about it, you can go on your date."

Sam's face relaxed into an excited smile "Thanks man!"

"Hey it's no problem; just get her home at a reasonable time okay?"

"Sure, of course. Thanks." Sam said with grin.

Sam's infectious smile was soon mirrored on Dean's face. Unlike Ruby, the few times Dean had seen Jess, he'd liked her. She had obviously been crushing on Sam for a while now, and the way he babbled on about her had meant it was only a matter of time. He was pretty sure she could make his little brother happy and Sam definitely deserved that.

Dean had a sudden realisation that since Sam's dated both Ruby and Jess in the under a year, he'd probably had a better love life than him, which was... well, pretty embarrassing. He couldn't remember the last time he actually went on a date; it had been a steady stream of one night stands for a few years now. A nice routine: go to a bar, find a hot girl or guy with enough alcohol in their system, sex at theirs, leave before breakfast, and never exchange contact details. It was easier that way. Dean couldn't afford to go on dates right now even if he wanted to. Even if he met someone he thought might just be worth it.

"Dean!" He heard Sam's voice yell from the passenger seat.

"Huh, what?" he jumped, snapping back into reality. He shook his head and focused on the road ahead of him. It was too icy for his daydreaming shit.

"I said how was Bobby's? Are you okay?"

"Oh yeah, sorry, I'm fine. Uh Bobby's was great. Awesome news by the way..." Sam raised his eyebrows "I'm getting a promotion. Rufus's old job, he's retiring."

"No way, Dean that's awesome." Sam beamed.

"Yeah, yeah it is." Dean mumbled absent-mindedly; his thoughts already wandering back to a pair of full chapped lips.

"Dude are you sure you're okay. You're acting weird." Sam persisted, once again reminding Dean to keep his mind on the road.

"I'm fine Sammy, just daydreaming." He grumbled with a heavy eye-roll.

"About who?"

"God damn it Sammy, why does it have to be a 'who', maybe I'm thinking about my promotion, or a book, or car, or something." Dean huffed.

He then received one of Sam's signature bitch-faces and the question was repeated "About who?"

"Alright, enough of the third degree, I was just fantasising about a hot guy I saw in the coffee shop. Didn't think you'd want to know." Dean said, throwing Sam a quick wink before returning his eyes to the road.

"Oh God, gross!" Sam scolded, turning his face towards the window. It had just the effect Dean had wanted, as Sam was uncomfortable enough to drop the subject.

Dean smoothly parked the Impala in front of their house and wandered over to open the front door, Sam scrambling up the drive behind him. Since Sam's sudden growth spurt over the summer, he hadn't quite got used to the length of his own limbs and would often clumsily trip over himself. Dean found it hilarious.

"Dad?" Dean called cautiously as he pulled the door shut behind them, once they'd both stumbled into the warmth of the house. There was no response. "Uh, well I guess he's out." Dean said, trying to sound ambivalent but his voice gave him away, sounding just a little too tired. Sam didn't reply. Instead he just frowned to himself as he got out his homework and put it on the kitchen table. Dean new that him and Sam had conflicting opinions on their Dad. Sam hated and resented him for not looking after them both and for forcing Dean to do all the work. Dean knew that, Sam told him all the time, and sometimes he saw where his brother was coming from. But no matter how tired Dean was, no matter how many jobs he had to take or how many hours he worked, he could never hate their Dad. Because he remembered who he used to be.

Dean slipped the pizzas into the oven and put on the TV while they cooked. He wasn't paying attention to what was on, it was just some dumb cartoon. Instead he took the opportunity to close his eyes and let his mind wonder. He thought about the coffee shop. Well more accurately he thought about Castiel. But not about how he looked, more about how he moved. How he would gracefully dodge past his brothers to get to things. How his fingers brushed against Dean's as he handed him the coffees. How his lips would curve delicately into smiles that looked shy and almost as though he was out of practice. What seemed like seconds later, his thoughts were interrupted by the shrill beeping of the oven timer.

Once they had finished their pizza, Sam moved into his room to finish the rest of his homework as he did every day. Dean always said that it was so Sam could go straight to bed and Dean wouldn't disturb his sleep when he got home, but deep down they both new that wasn't the reason. The excuse doesn't even make sense but neither of them wanted to admit that it's because they're worried Sam wouldn't be safe home alone with their drunken Father, and that he'd be better off behind a locked door.

* * *

Dean arrived at work five minutes late and practically ran across the bar to apologise. "Ellen I am so sorry. There was snow on the road and someone had an accident so there was traffic, I'm so –"

"Dean, settle down." Ellen interrupt, clapping Dean's arm and smiling soothingly "I understand it's hectic on the roads. You're not in trouble; just don't let it happen again." Ellen had been similarly as helpful as Bobby when things had started going downhill at the Winchester's. She had helped Dean as much as possible, giving him a job, and regularly invited the boys round for dinner. That's what Dean loved most; dinner at Ellen's sort of reminded Dean what having a family felt like.

"It won't ever happen again, I swear."

"Good." She said with another quick smile "Now get your ass behind the bar and start working."

Dean let out a relieved laugh and made his way behind the bar, winking at Jo, who was sitting on one of the stools, on his way past.

"Hey, Dean." Jo said, flirtatiously flicking her hair off her shoulder. She had had a crush on Dean pretty much since he got the job there and he knew it. He also knew that nothing would ever happen between them; not that Jo wasn't his type, she was sweet, strong, smart, and one of the hottest blonde's he'd ever seen. But he knew there was a line, and was way too loyal to/scared of Ellen to dare cross it.

"Hey, sweetheart. Do you –"

At that moment, three men loudly strolled into the bar. Two of them were laughing uproariously whilst the other looked a mix of exhausted and mortified. An elated feeling rose in Dean's chest. _Castiel._

"Oh, if it isn't the Mr Dreamy, that came in earlier!" Balthazar said, gesturing his hand towards Dean. Castiel's blue eyes shot up towards him then quickly down at his own feet.

"Hey freckles!" Gabriel added with a mildly sarcastic grin. They both wondered towards the bar, practically dragging an embarrassed Castiel with them.

"Oh uh, hey, can I get you guys anything?" Dean asked, eyes fixed on Castiel.

"Uh, I don't think I'll –" Castiel began, but was quickly interrupted by Gabriel ordering three beers.

"Coming up." Dean said, swiftly reaching into the fridge under the bar and grabbing three bottles. He handed each of them their beers and was about to return to Jo before Balthazar asked "So, Dean isn't it? Why don't you tell us about yourself?"

Dean raised his eyebrows. In this line of work people get chatty all the time, but the way Balthazar said it made him feel like he was being tested. "Well there's not much to tell really."

"Oh I'm sure there is." Balthazar said, smiling coyly. "For example, you bought more than one coffee, who were the other's for?"

Dean rolled his eyes. This guy could hardly remember his name but remembered effortlessly how many coffees he ordered. "My employers." Dean responded hesitantly.

"Here at the bar? But it was mid afternoon?"

"Uh, no I have to jobs."

"Why?"

"Balthazar!" Castiel's soft gruff voice warned.

"I'm just being friendly Cassie." Balthazar responded and was obviously about to continue but Dean had crept off to serve other customers.

Dean stole a glance back at Castiel and his brothers as he was making some cocktails for a hammered group of girls. He longed to talk to him but found Balthazar and Gabriel's awkward humour pretty much intolerable. Dean frowned in irritation and handed the girl's their drinks. When he looked back Castiel was alone at the bar, rolling his eyes with his wallet out.

"Did those dicks run and leave you the bill?" Dean asked incredulously, wandering towards Castiel.

"Yes." He sighed "But this is not out of the ordinary. Here." He said handing Dean the money. "And I find myself once again having to apologies for my brother's behaviour."

"Hey, don't worry about it. I have a kid brother; I know siblings can be a pain in the ass." Dean laughed fondly. "Although maybe he's not quite like yours." he added imagining Sam's face if he knew who he'd just been compared to.

"I wouldn't imagine anyone is quite like Balthazar." Castiel said with a hesitant laugh that made Dean grin from ear to ear. "Well all the same, I'm sorry for his difficult questions. Thank you for being so understanding Dean." He said as he turned towards the door.

"Hey, go on a date with me." The words were out before Dean even had a chance to think about them. Cas spun around slowly, looking at Dean with cautious eyes. Dean shifted uncomfortably and his mind started racing. 'What have I _done_? Dean Winchester does not go on dates. Dean Winchester does not ask out blue eyed men with embarrassing brothers and cute messy hair. Cute?! Ugh, God, what is happening? The worst part is there's no way he'll say yes. We hardly know each other. Also he's angelic and I'm... well, not. Wow, what was I thinking? He probably gets this a lot; I bet he's got a smooth way to turn people down. This is going to be humiliating. Alright Winchester just brush it off, brush it off.'

"When?" A hesitant voice interrupted Dean's train of thought. Castiel was looking through his eyelashes at Dean with a shadow of a smile twitching at the corners of his mouth. Dean, however, was far less subtle as he allowed a full blow grin to spread across his face.

"Uh, can you do Sunday? I know it's weird but I work a lot so..."

"I finish work at around four thirty on a Sunday." Castiel said "If you'd like to drop by sometime around then?"

"Perfect." Dean replied, smiling wider than ever "I'll see you then."

Castiel almost laughed "Goodbye, Dean" he said gently, as he turned and left.

"Did I just witness _Dean Winchester_ asking someone on a _date_?" a delighted voice exclaimed. Dean had almost forgotten where he was and he turned in surprise to see Jo grinning at him.

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Dean said rolling his eyes, but the smile hadn't quite faded off his face.


End file.
